40 Creative Recipes That Highlight Our Fave Summer Veggies
Perfect for every cookout, summer dinner, potluck...
No matter how much we dream about summer the rest of the year, we somehow still find ourselves bowled over at the bountiful variety of delicious produce available once it arrives. Our CSA produce boxes runneth over, our farmers' market bags get heavy, and we’ll admit, sometimes we end up with more veggies than we know what to do with. If you’ve found yourself in the same boat, this list is for you. We’ve got 40 creative recipes highlighting all our favorite summer vegetables, everything from simple tips for grilling to elaborate, show-stopping mains. Pull out the grill and light those citronella candles, these recipes were made for enjoying al fresco, summer cocktail in hand.
Did you know you can shop for all the ingredients for these recipes with the click of a button? Look for the Shop With Instacart button and simply click, shop, and wait for your delivery to arrive. Dinner truly made easier.
Let’s start simple—you can throw pretty much every vegetable on the grill and transform it into something incredible, from zucchini to green beans to tomatoes. You can eat them on their own or add your grilled veg to other recipes for a little charred intrigue. Corn is the best example—check out our elote, our grilled corn salad, or our black bean & corn salad to see how to take it to the next level—but it goes for all of them, so get creative.
No grill? No stress (though we definitely recommend checking out our favorite gas grills or grill pans so you can get in on the action). We’ve also included a number of recipes here that are perfect for dinners indoors, enjoying the air conditioning. Craving a summery pasta? Try our creamy corn pasta, our mac & cheese stuffed zucchini, our cherry tomato pasta, or our zucchini bolognese. Looking for easy and casual? Our Mexican street corn flatbread, our ultimate veggie sandwiches, or our ratatouille casserole fit the bill. Want a little more protein with your veggies? Our walnut broccoli stir fry, our creamy basil chicken skillet, or our Caprese chicken stuffed peppers are full of it, while still highlighting the best the season has to offer.
Want even more summertime recipe inspiration? Check out our favorite grilled fruits, our top summer dinners, and our best summer salads too.
Mackenzie Filson is a food writer and contributing digital food producer at Delish. Her favorite ice cream flavor is chocolate-pine. If wine was an astrological sign she'd be a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. She's never met a bag of Spicy Sweet Chili Doritos she didn't eat in one sitting.
Camille Lowder is the digital food producer at Delish, otherwise known as our resident queen of recipe galleries. Previously, she attended the Natural Gourmet Institute for culinary school and worked at/managed a number of New York restaurants. She loves anything vegan, foods masquerading as other foods (hello, cauliflower), and a well-used Oxford comma.